PUBLISHED ONNovember 06, 2026 2:05 AMUPDATEDNovember 06, 2026 3:11 PMBYSean LerAutonomous shuttles operated by Grab and WeRide, as well as ComfortDelGro and Pony.ai, have become an increasingly familiar sight on Punggol roads with free trial rides ongoing for some months now.
And while feedback has been "overwhelmingly positive", according to a July 12 update by the Land Transport Authority, an incident on Thursday (Nov 5) morning has sparked discussions on social media.
A video shared with SG Road Vigilante and posted on its social media shows a woman and child waiting at a pedestrian crossing at Punggol Field Walk.
About five seconds after the lights had turned green, the girl begins to cross the road alone, just as an autonomous shuttle was making a left turn.
The girl was startled as she was turning back to wave goodbye to the woman, who immediately comes forward to hold her.
Footage shows the shuttle had its signal light on and the crossing was clear when it began its turn.
Several social media users noted that the woman and child had been standing at the junction for a few seconds before moving off, arguing that even a human driver might have assumed they were not intending to do so.
But there were also some who called for the incident to be investigated, referring to the presence of a safety operator onboard the autonomous shuttles.
One user, Colin Lincoln, also reminded parents that children need to be taught to check that the road is clear before crossing. "Don't cross blindly even if the green man is on," he added.
In response to AsiaOne's queries, a Grab spokesperson stated that they are aware of the incident and that the incident is being closely reviewed together with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and WeRide.
LTA told AsiaOne in a statement on Friday night that preliminary data showed the vehicle had detected the woman and the child, adding that the duo's movements were continually tracked.
The data also showed that the vehicle executed the turn after the light had turned green, while the duo were "at first stationary for some time".
The regulator noted that the vehicle initiated braking and steered away to the right when the child began crossing the road.
At this point, the safety operator also intervened and had continued to brake and steer the vehicle away from the child.
It added that the autonomous shuttle was testing a new route in preparation for enhanced on-demand travel within Punggol.
"LTA has directed Grab to pause testing at such junctions until investigations are completed, and we will review whether the response to such scenarios should be adjusted," an LTA spokesperson said.
Pedestrians are reminded to watch for oncoming traffic to come to a complete stop before crossing, the spokesperson added.
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